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Martin Scorsese's finest hours... (11 titles)

A personal top ten of one of the most exciting, innovative and versitile directors of all time. Best known for his portrayals of Italian-American under-worlds of his hometown New York. But a filmmaker with a passion for every genre of cinema... My faves in descending order.

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The King Of Comedy

Joint 10th. A lot of people don't have the patience for this film. Others will be captivated by watching Robert De Niro in every scene of this acutely obeserved character study.

The King Of Comedy on DVD (1982)
Starring: Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott, Tony Randall
Director: Martin Scorsese
Certificate:
Robert De Niro plays a nerd with a mission, a fantasist who is determined to get himself on television, namely the Jerry Langford Show. But when Langford (Jerry Lewis) gives him the cold shoulder, De Niro hatches a banal kidnap plan.
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The Departed

Joint 10th. Outstanding remake of 'Infernal Affairs'. Oozing with Scorsese signitures. Made to be just outright entertaining.

The Departed on DVD (2006)
Starring: Leonardo Di Caprio, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone
Director: Martin Scorsese, Martin Scors
Certificate:
In South Boston, where the state police force is waging war on organized crime, young undercover cop Billy Costigan is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Costello. While Billy is quickly gaining Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan, a hardened young criminal who has ..read more »
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Kundun

9. Visually arresting. Emotionally impactful. An educational biopic that isn't exposition heavy and gets across the entire arc of the Dalai Lama's story.

Kundun on DVD (1997)
Starring: Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong
Director: Martin Scorsese
Certificate:
Martin Scorsese directs this epic based on the life of the present day Dalai Lama. In 1937 a monk roaming in Tibet proclaims that the two-year-old son of a rural family near the Chinese border is 'Kundun' - the reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion, and next in line as Dalai Lama. The new Lama ..read more »
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Casino

8. Yes a sister film to Goodfellas. Scorsese is right at home here. An outstanding picture. Anyone who wants to edit films need only look at Thelma Schoonmaker's work here.

Casino on DVD (1995)
Starring: Jayne Meadows, Jerry Vale, Steve Allen
Director: Martin Scorsese
Certificate:
The inner-workings of a corrupt Las Vegas casino are exposed in Martin Scorsese's story of crime and punishment. The film chronicles the lives and times of three characters: Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a bookmaking wizard; Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), a Mafia underboss and longtime best friend to ..read more »
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The Last Temptation Of Christ

7. This is a far from perfect film. I don't really like the casting too much or some of the other artistic decisions. But this film is an absolutely fascinating concept - for believers and non-believers alike.

The Last Temptation Of Christ on DVD (1988)
Starring: Andre Gregory, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey
Director: Martin Scorsese
Certificate:
Willem Dafoe plays Jesus Christ in this extraordinarily controversial adaptation of Nikos Kazantzaki's novel. The film depicts a sometimes reluctant, self-doubting Jesus, gradually coming to accept His divinity and the inexorability of His ultimate fate. The much-maligned sex scene with Mary ..read more »
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Cape Fear

6. A great thiller. Thoroughly entertaining not just because its well made, but because you genuinely believe that there are no limits as to how dark this can go.

Cape Fear on DVD (1991)
Starring: Illeana Dou, Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte
Director: Martin Scorsese
Certificate:
Martin Scorsese's remake of Cape Fear provided the director with a box-office success to follow up the critical success of the previous year's Goodfellas. After serving a lengthy prison sentence for a sexual assault, Max Cady (Robert De Niro) comes calling on the man who served as his public ..read more »
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After Hours

5. I love the world created in this film. Tremendous atmosphere. "It's after hours... different rules apply..."

After Hours (1985)
Starring: Cheech Marin, Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette
Director: Martin Scorsese
Certificate:
Watch now: Unavailable
An ordinary word processor has the worst night of his life after he agrees to visit a girl in Soho whom he met that evening at a coffee shop.
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Taxi Driver

4. Whoa hold on... Taxi Driver at number 4?? I guess the man really is a genius. Inspired script from Paul Schrader.

Taxi Driver on DVD (1976)
Starring: Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris
Director: Martin Scorsese
Certificate:
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Groundbreaking drama of urban alienation from director Martin Scorsese and writer Paul Schrader. Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) works as a New York City taxi driver, and is consumed with disgust by the 'filth' which surrounds him. His explosive, psychotic loathing eventually drives ..read more »
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Goodfellas

3. His comeback moment. The eighties treated Marty pretty badly. He didn't help much by making The Colour of Money (which he only made so the studio would make this). I'd suppose this or Taxi Driver would be the most popular choice for his greatest film. But such is the master, you just can't pin him down to only one masterpiece. A relentless, powerhouse of a film like no other ever made.

Goodfellas on DVD (1990)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Director: Martin Scorsese
Certificate:
Watch now: Unavailable
Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-..read more »
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Raging Bull

2. Another Schrader script (with Mardik Martin) of Shakespearian proportions. Michael Chapman's black and white newsreel cinematography is still an industry yardstick. But it's De Niro's movie. The greatest of his plethora of great performances. Which puts it high in the running for the greatest screen performance ever captured.

Raging Bull on DVD (1980)
Starring: Frank Adonis, Nicholas Colasanto, Cathy Moriarty
Director: Martin Scorsese
Certificate:
Martin Scorsese's acclaimed biopic of Jake La Motta, the boxing world champion who rose rapidly to fame but swiftly fell from grace. On the road to success, La Motta (Robert De Niro) marries the beautiful young Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), but the pressures of success soon make him paranoid and he ends ..read more »
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